Time for my winners and losers column from the elections. This year I have added for the first time a section called "Jumping The Shark" where a person became so bad that they are lower than a loser.

WINNERS:

LGBT Community:

This was our best election in history. A new Senator, Four new members of the House bringing our total to six, winning four marriage ballot measures and providing President Obama with his second highest vote after African-Americans! Job well done.

LGBT Organizations:

Our organizations did a splendid job this year. Freedom to Marry and Human Rights Campaign delivered the goods especially in regards to Senator-elect Tammy Baldwin and the Four Marriage Initiatives. The Victory Fund was instrumental in the Baldwin victory and the four new members of Congress. The newly formed LPAC raised over a million dollars and made themselves a new force to be reckoned with in our community! We can be proud of all four of these organizations.

Evan Wolfson:

Evan rightfully has been called the "Father of the Marriage Equality Movement". Wolfson has championed this issue from day one. He should be one proud 'dad' today.

Obama Campaign Team:

From the volunteers to the leadership in Chicago, we can only say thank you for running the perfect campaign. Americans shall be forever grateful.

Robert Shrum:

This commentator was consistently right in this election. For years he has advocated that Democrats run on a platform of economic populism and he saw it come true last night. In addition, in his columns and on television, he has called it right all year long. Shrum was the first to defend the President on the Bain and Romney tax ads, the first to believe Obama would bounce back from his first poor debate performance and wrote Romney's political obituary last week. A very good year for Shrum.

Democratic Coalition:

Women, African-Americans, Hispanics, LGBT community, young people and so many more held it together, worked side by side and produce historic progressive/liberal victories. The Republicans uniformly attacked these groups and they uniformly rejected the Republicans.

Ken Mehlman:

Without question Ken Mehlman raised millions and millions for marriage equality and organizations working on them. No one can match him in this effort this year and we should be thrilled with his passion and commitment for our issues.

Nate Silver:

Despite hostile and ugly attacks from the right wing, our Nate stood tall and proud and was proven right. Good job Nate!

LOSERS:

Vatican:

The biggest political party in America took it on the chin last night. Choice won in Florida, marriage equality won in four states and their favorites candidates ate dust.

Mormon Church:

They not only loss with Romney they financed many of the anti-LGBT ballot measures and lost them all.

Tea Party:

Many of the Tea Party stars went down to defeat including Akin, Mourdock and Congressman West in Florida. Even Michelle Bachman was in the race for her life! It has become nothing more than an organization of old bitter white men.

Money:

Money can't buy you love. Linda McMahon spent $100 million in Connecticut and lost in a landslide. Karl Rove raised and spent about $250 million and lost everything. The Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson were handed back their empty wallets that brought them nothing.

Karl Rove:

How does he explain this to his donors? What exactly did they get for his strategy that he could buy elections, put on lies and attempt voter suppression? They got absolutely nothing. However, my guess is that Karl got paid well.

JUMPING THE SHARK:

Donald Trump:

The Donald went totally crazy in the final days of the campaign and on election night on Twitter totally lost it. He issued a call for a march on Washington to overthrow the government and said the election was a sham. No one respects this man anymore.

Mayor Rudolph Giuliano

The Mayor became desperate and pitiful in the last two weeks of the campaign with shrill and out-of-control pronouncements including that Obama resign before the election. He is done politically. His attacks were beyond civilized, ugly and filled with lies. It was sad to watch

Comments

Sorry, but I refuse to see Ken Mehlman as a winner of anything. Perhaps I should be grateful for the "millions and millions" he raised. But, that man is as arrogant and self-aggrandizing as he has always been. He did way too much harm to LGBT people prior to his "coming out". Worse, he's still a Republican and, for that alone, he is unworthy of my respect. It's that old adage: you can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

I really like your use of 'jumping the shark'. Those two people have put themselves beyond the pale by exhibiting a disregard for logic and sheer sense. They just don't seem to have the slightest grasp of what is real.
I feel sorry for them because they seem to have lost the ability to think clearly and logically. But their lack of judgement completely bewilders me: they have to be aware of how ignorant and feeble-minded their parallel universe remarks make them sound? Who do they think is their audience who wants to hear this? Oh, yeah, sorry. Shame that there's a whole group of people who don't seem able to tell facts from fantasy.
I very much hope that there are enough politicians in congress who want to solve problems and, yes, move forward.

2) It's "Mr.," not "Mayor." Titles of office are held by the person in office. Former office-holders revert back to whatever title they had previously. Mitt Romney is properly referred to as "Mr. Romney" because the actual Governor of Massachusetts is Deval Patrick. George Bush is referred to as "Mr. Bush" because the actual president is Barack Obama. And Rudolph Giuliani is referred to as "Mr. Giuliani" because the actual mayor of New York is Michael Bloomberg.

As to titles. One official exception regards former presidents.
President Clinton remains President Clinton, same for papa Bush and baby Bush.
It is assumed that people know who the current president is and are not confused by former presidents retaining the title.

Around the time of Judge Starr, Republicans decided to refer to running candidates by their most senior government title. That's why we had Ambassador Keyes. He was "appointed Ambassador to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations by President Ronald Reagan."

@Stephen: No, not even former presidents. According to the Protocol School of Washington, offices where there is only one holder at a time, the title goes to the person who is currently holding the office. Thus, presidents, governors, mayors, etc., all revert to their former titles once they have left office:

"The former office holder is no longer due the precedence and courtesies we extend to the current office holder. He or she speaks with the authority of a private citizen. We honor former office holder's service, but the 'form of address' -- which acknowledges the responsibilities and duties of office -- belongs only to current office holder."

Emily Post agrees:

"When addressing a former President of the United States in a formal setting, the correct form is 'Mr. LastName.' ('President LastName' or 'Mr. President' are terms reserved for the current head of state.) This is true for other ex-officials, as well."

Now, you can refer to them as "Former President" or such, but that's making a description, not bestowing an honorific.

Now, the fact that everybody has decided to keep the title even when the person is no longer in office means that there is probably a shift in etiquette happening, but I think a case can still be made that it is improper.